Earthing.  The philosophy that the best way to reconnect with the earth and with the self is to walk barefoot, to root your body physically within the soil and the ground below you.  Up until recently, I didn't realize there was a name for being a bare-foot baby.  Mostly because, my cousins and I could have wrote the book on earthing as kids!  That's something my children got from me.  

I can close my eyes, focus in, and remember... remember the river mud between my toes.  Remember the hard, dusty South Dakota ground.  Remember my great-aunt and grandma telling us to "watch out for cactus!" as we set off on another adventure.  Every summer I had a week or so, here and there, with my cousins in central South Dakota. We were wild-haired (ok, ok that was me.. I loathed a hair brush), tanned skinned, freckled, dirty wildlings. We spent hours outside. We spent hours at the river. We spent hours exploring every inch of the place we could. Most of it, we spent exploring barefoot. 

At the time, we had no idea it was beneficial.  We had no idea we were recentering, filling our bodies with the earth's nutrients, or finding our balance in this place.  As an adult looking back, we did all of those things.  We recentered through play. Through make-believe.  Through hours in the tree house my "uncle" Joe built. Through hours in the river, and playing at her shore. We noticed all of her creatures. We loved all of her creatures. Fish, toads, frogs (yes, even the one put on my back!), tadpoles, salamanders, water bugs.  They all had a place in the grand scheme. They all had a purpose, not unlike us. We had a place.  We were meant to be there--barefoot in old play clothes by the water.  We were meant to be free. We were made to be wild. We were meant to be children of the earth under an endless sky.  

When I look at my children running barefoot across our yard (after yelling "EEEKKK!! Watch out for dog poop!!") I am taken back. I miss you, cousins. My first best friends. The boys who dared me to be as wild and free as them.  I let my children be barefoot. Be daring. Be societal rule breakers. Be muddy. Be dirty. Be one with the earth under and endless sky. Be blown by the wind. Be imaginative and adventurous. Be barrier breakers. Be lovers of earth and art and play. Because in watching them play, I am taken back; like an outsider looking in watching us play. Just like me, my daughter begs her brother to hold her hand, just like I did to my cousins so many years ago; and, begrudgingly, he holds her had and pulls her along, just like my cousins did so many years ago.

  Someday, our children will run barefoot through those same open spaces in South Dakota, and I know they will be just fine. We were.  They will feel the ultimate sense of freedom. The ultimate sense of oneness with the earth. With the ground. With the river. And, as children, they will learn and see the intricate and beautiful connection between all of them.  They may be small, but they will be fearless albeit a bit dirtied from hours in river water.    

"Oh! I can help you!" are words eagerly spoken in our house by our six and three-year-old kids multiple times a day.  Sometimes, I dread hearing it and often catch myself sighing and quietly thinking "ugh! I just want to get this DONE!"  I have to take a deep breath and remind myself to let them help.  Let them happily assist in ways they can while they are so eager to do so. 

I know its hard.  It takes almost every fiber of patience I have in me to watch their tiny fingers clumsily fold washcloths and match socks or haphazardly place clean silverware into the correct spots in the drawer.  It's even harder not to "fix" the help immediately afterwards! But, in the lives of children, it is so important to let them help you. Please, mama, let them help you! Teach them how to help others as best as they can. 

You see, you, mama, are the first teacher those little ones have.  Teach them certain skills while they are so eager to be helpful.  In learning to help, kids are gaining much more than a basic understanding of the task at hand.  They're building self-confidence in the satisfaction of completing a task.  They're learning empathy by exerting their willingness to be helpful when noticing a task that is being completed or that needs done.  They're learning responsibility in helping care for the communal home they share with you!  They're learning that helping and caring for the home, pets, and their items is being a positive and productive part of a community.  A home, for small ones, is a community, after all!  They're learning the value of teamwork and building the family routine dynamic.

Willingness to be helpful and age-appropriate chores shape happy, well-rounded, loving and responsible little ones who grow to develop a help-oriented mind set.  When helping and chores are embraced and a part of the daily norm for the whole family, clean-up time becomes less of a fight and much more second nature. 

Do my kids always clean their rooms or agree to it happily? Heck no!  But they fight it much less after being allowed to help with other things around the house.  The sense of accomplishment when they finally fold a washcloth correctly, match a pair of socks, or successfully measure an ingredient for baking and cooking is the best thing to witness as their mom!  They're learning. They're building fine motor skills.  They're problem-solving and using practical moments to expand on deeper learning concepts. 

So, dear mama, take that breath.  Roll your eyes to the side a few times, Lord knows I do.... then make another cup of coffee and let them help with whatever they're asking to in the best way that they can.  Relish the moments that your children see you-- see you working hard, and want to help in any way they feel they can. 

Full disclosure- I really don't like food blogs. I love the recipes, but I really don't want to read 9 paragraphs about how someone was inspired by a summer abroad in Italy, or an extensive 15-generation genealogy report about grandma's famous dumplings. Just give me the food! I do, however, love to cook and *finds horn* and *toots horn* most of the time I am not too shabby. Here is one of my favorite budget-friendly dinners. 

Okay, one more and then I will get on with it I promise.  As a military spouse, budget-friendly meals are important to me. I want to share recipes with others that are budget-friendly, picky kid approved,fun and easy to make, and *obviously* taste good! Budget meals do not have to be unflavorful! I love to use locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, and I always try my very best to shop locally.  All of the ingredients for this dinner were purchased from our small, farmtown stores! The bacon and chicken were raised by local farmers and believe me when I say you can taste the difference! 

Without further adieu, here is my chicken-bacon-ranch casserole steps.  This recipe feeds 4 people using just two chicken breasts! The recipe below serves four and can be adjusted accordingly.  The price for a four person serving--just $3.00 for the entire dish! 

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, unless otherwise stated on your bag of tater tots. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Cube chicken breasts and bacon into bite-size pieces. Add to pan and cook through. If you are using a fatty bacon, cook this first then drain, set aside, and cook chicken. 

 Season while cooking with either ranch dressing dry seasoning packet to your taste or create your own.  I create my own because I need a gluten-free option, and I appreciate lower sodium. To create your own:
Add dried dill seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt to taste or until fragrant. 

Add a layer of frozen tater tots to the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Top with the seasoned chicken and bacon and 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Repeat layering once more and end by topping with remaining sharp cheddar cheese. 

Bake at 450 degrees F. for 10-13 minutes; until cheese is melted and tater tots have crisped. Remove and serve! 

This one earned the approval of both of our picky-eaters! Kid tested, budget approved. 

Note: This recipe is of my own conception and was not derived from another author, cookbook, or online site.  I am not compensated for the use use of any suggested ingredients and do not endorse any specific brands; this is something I created and wanted to share for other budget-limited cooks and parents.